::Chapter Two::
"So what's this about?," the pilot called Wufei asked, slightly annoyed.
"Yea!! Hurry up and tell us, man!!," an impatient Duo agreed. He'd had to wait the longest, because Quatre had insisted on gathering the other pilots as well.... which had taken a while, since they didn't really keep in touch. Trowa, as usual, sat silently arms crossed, his forest green eyes watching. Quatre would begin when he found the right words.
They were currently in Quatre's hotel room, where the blond had instructed them to meet. Usually, the boys could rarely be found together like this, in order to not draw suspicion. OZ expected the five Gundam pilots to be grouped together, and as such, stayed on the lookout for five suspicious persons. Across from the blond, Wufei began to grow cross at the blond's silence. He'd wanted to practice his katana moves and he was not in the mood for waiting.
All at once, Quatre lifted his head, aqua eyes wide.
"Heero is gone..." he began softly. The others, minus Trowa, looked at him with incredulous eyes. Duo snorted.
"Yea, yea, we heard all that before, now tell us where he is." Wufei turned away.
"I wouldn't worry," he remarked matter of factly. "That guy can take care of himself. He's probably just out on a mission somewhere. You know he never tells you nosey weaklings anything...as would I."
"What?!," Duo complained, twisting in his seat, "Wu-ster! How can you say that??! Heero's our friend!...I think.. And I am not weak!" He added as an afterthought. Even though newly acquainted, Duo had already figured out which buttons to push, and Wufei, easily the most antagonizable of the group, was a sure target. He snorted.
"Hmph! What makes you think he'd be friends with a baka such as yourself? Frankly I don't know why he puts up with you. And don't call me that." He glared.
Trowa was silent, but Quatre looked alarmed.
"C'mon guys! It's the tension! The tension!!! It's making you crazy! Wufei, I'd like to think that we're all friends here....and Duo, please refrain from calling him names." Duo sighed resigningly. It was always his fault somehow.
After making sure everyone was settled, Quatre continued.
"As I was saying, Heero is gone. I really don't know how to explain it in any logical terms....but.....well..." He took a deep breath, deciding to just plunge ahead. "I don't think Heero's on earth anymore."
The others were unfazed. And after a moment of silence, Wufei finally spoke.
"So? That isn't strange at all. He's probably just on one of the colonies. Wasn't he from L1? Maybe he had to take care of some stuff." He shrugged his shoulders, uncaring. What that guy did in his spare time was his own business.
Quatre shook his head. "You don't understand! What I'm trying to say is that Heero isn't anywhere here! I guess another way to put it, would be that Heero is currently in another world." Duo looked at him like he was crazy.
"Just what happened down there with Zero?" He put a hand to Quatres forehead. "Are you feeling ok there, buddy? Cause seriously, you don't sound like yourself."
Quatre was near tears.
"You have to listen to me! Heero could be in danger!" He told them of the images he'd seen, of what Wing Zero had shown him. When he finished, Wufei and Duo stared at him doubtfully. Trowa, who had yet to speak, was silent, face expressionless.
Wufei suddenly turned to Duo accusingly. "What did you do to him?!"
Duo looked shocked.
"What??! ME?! How can you think that I did anything to him! He did it to himself!!" He held up his hands. "I had absolutely nothing to do with it this time!"
Wufei scowled, causing his narrow, almond eyes to grow even smaller. "Are you sure he didn't bump his head? Or maybe you slipped something in his drink?" He eyed Duo suspiciously. Duo was horrified.
"What do you think I am?? Some kinda person who slips stuff in peoples drinks??!! Besides the fact that we didn't even have drinks, I mean, being out in the middle of a lake and all - I'm not like that! Well....when it comes to OZ maybe...but other than that, I don't poison my friends," he finished indignately.
"I told you. You have no friends."
"WHAT???!!!!!" Duo leaned forward, looking shocked. He turned to Trowa and Quatre, with unbelieving eyes. "Is this true? Do you all feel this way?" He'd begun to think of them as potential friends atleast.
Trowa was silent.
"Your silence says it all!," Duo huffed angrily. "Why didn't you guys tell me you felt this way?"
"We did- numerous times." Wufei countered calmly. Quatre was horrified.
The young blond looked at Duo encouragingly. "Duo, of course we're your friends!!!" He looked appalled that Wufei should even think to suggest otherwise. "You guys, please stop this.....we shouldn't be fighting! Blaming each other isn't going to help anything! You're both missing the point here...It's not fair to Heero..."
"Wufei's not exactly being fair to me," Duo pointed out. "His lies and accusations don't do me justice - OPPS!" He covered his mouth, but it was too late. Wufei's eyes had already begun to flare. He glared angrily.
"Justice? JUSTICE?? What do you know about the word JUSTICE??!! How dare you taint it's meaning?!! It's just a word the weak use to justify the actions of the strong!" He sneered. "Justice..bah! Tell me...where was JUSTICE on the day that little boy needed him??! Huh?? Hiding under a rock??! Where was JUSTICE the day that shop owner was killed??!" He buried his face into his hands.
"Oh Nataku.......I am not worthy...."
Duo frowned, scratching his brown hair. "What the heck are you talking about? And what shop owner??"
Trowa was silent.
Quatre looked to Duo and Trowa helplessly. "Please! Would everyone just listen!!! Someone's life is in danger!" At this, both Wufei and Duo turned instantly attentive.
And Trowa was silent.
Quatre sighed. This was harder than he'd thought. He put a hand to his chest, calming himself. How could he make them understand? Wufei shook his head.
"Even if what you say is true, Wing Zero is just a system.....it's not real. It has no spiritual powers, technically speaking. You shouldn't rely on it to locate missing people." Quatre shook his head.
"No. You're wrong. There's something unique about the Zero system, Wufei. Remember? We were all affected by it, the times we each piloted it. Didn't you see? It showed you the possible future of yourself and the colonies. It somehow.....affects you..." he couldn't explain it. Duo nodded, agreeing.
"I sure had a hell of a time keeping control that time I was in it." he paused. "So....what is it you were thinking?"
"Well," Quatre started, "we all know Heero. And even if he did just go to a colony," he looked at Wufei, "you're right, he probably wouldn't have told us...but then again, he also wouldn't have just left his Gundam stranded in the harbor either...especially not so close to an Oz base." Wufei straightened, understanding dawning on his face.
"Yes...so you're saying that this guy might be in danger? Do you think it might have something to do with that base Maxwell destroyed?" To this, Duo scowled. They didn't have to keep rubbing it in like that!
Quatre shook his head.
"I don't know....Heero obviously must have found something important in that base, with all the ruckus going on. And Duo mentioned something about a new kind of mobile suit."
"Whatever it is, you can bet OZ is right at the top of it," Wufei exclaimed. "We have to find that guy. He probably knows something by now." Always one step ahead of me, he thought bitterly, clinching his fists. Trowa regarded him silently for a moment, and then finally he spoke.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" They glanced at him in surprise.
Duo chuckled. "Finally decided to join the conversation, eh?" They ignored him, much to his annoyance.
"Forgetting what?," Wufei asked.
"That girl Quatre mentioned." Quatre gasped. How could he forget!
"Hmph. What could be so important about a weak onna?"
Quatre went on excitedly. "She's the core in all this...I don't know how to explain it, but I'm pretty sure if we find her, we'll find Heero as well."
Duo looked confused. "Where is this girl? Did Zero tell you that?" Quatre frowned, thinking. No...Zero hadn't shown him any specific locations...unless........
"Wait!"
He ran out of the room, returning minutes later with an old catalog. As the others watched, puzzled, he flipped through the pages, finally stopping at one. Setting the catalog down on the coffee table, the boys all leaned forward, crowding to see whatever it was that had the boy so interested.
After a moment, Wufei turned away, scoffing. "You ran all the way in there just to get a clothing catalog...to look at some stupid onna?" He looked disgusted. Quatre blushed.
Duo leaned closer with a grin. "Hey! She's kinda cute!"
Trowa was silent.
The blond cleared his throat. "No Wufei....I wanted to show you guys something....take a look at that uniform she's wearing."
"Yea...so?"
"Hey, I've never seen anything like that around here," Duo intervened. It resembled a school uniform of some sort, except it was blue and white, with a sailor collar around the neck. Quatre nodded.
"That's right. This is more or less the same uniform I saw on that girl Zero showed me. It says here that this used to be the standard uniform design of certain Japanese schools long ago...varying from color to design of course."
Trowa nodded. "Then Heero is somewhere in Japan. That definitely narrows it down."
Wufei stood. "So then, when do we leave? It would be wise to split up and search." He had a few questions of his own he wanted answered, and the only person who could answer them was the Perfect Soldier himself. Trowa rose also, followed by Quatre. Duo remained seated, flipping through the book, looking at the girls and humming a tune.
"Wait a minute.... What about Oz?," Quatre asked. "We can't all leave; the Cinq Kingdom would be defensless....and Miss Relena-"
Trowa cut him off. "I'll stay."
"Hey! What's going on?," Duo asked, tuning back into the conversation.
"Yes," Quatre agreed. "Two should go, and the rest of us stay here and defend against OZ." Since the failed operation, OZ would likely be tightening their security in case of any other breaches. "I'll alert my men to defence," he added. No need to take any chances. And now with TWO of the Gundam pilots gone, they'd need all the help they could get.
Duo looked dazed. "Aren't you guys being a little.......say, hasty?" Not that he was complaining. But it was usually HE that did the reckless stuff like rushing in headfirst... It was a little unnerving to see his normally rational fellow pilots rushing into something on just a hunch. But I've done that plenty of times myself... he reasoned.
With a grin he stood up...if they were going, then Shinigami wouldn't be left behind!
Quatre smiled wryly. "Well, I guess that means I'll be staying," he exclaimed, watching Duo.
They left separately soon after; Two for the southwestern region of New Tokyo, agreeing to keep each other posted and up to date on the events. But Quatre was still uncertain. He was sure that they wouldn't find Heero in this modern day Japan. Zero hadn't specificated in any particular time, but this feeling he was getting... No. They wouldn't find the Perfect Soldier there. But he kept silent.
The others will never believe me....unless.....
And he left, a new goal in mind.
2001? He still couldn't believe it. But the girl had to be telling the truth...he highly doubted she had the brains to pull off something like this...planting an out of date calander... His frown deepened, and he shut his eyes trying to make sense of this situation. There had to be a logical explaination for this.....but what? What exactly was going on here?
"Um...excuse me?? Mister?? Are you ok? What year did you think it was? And how exactly did you end up with a gun?? Guns are dangerous y'know...is that how you got hurt? Did you shoot yourself accidently?" But this guy didn't look like the type to make mistakes.
"Serena!" Luna hissed. "It's none of our concern!" The less they knew about him, the better off they'd be...and more likely to get out of this alive. She could hardly believe their luck. The Champion of Justice who defended against the darkest evils in the universe, getting taken down by a deranged teenager with a gun.
"But Luna! He could be in trouble," the girl replied, confused. It was her duty to help those in need. She turned her attention back to the boy, who had closed his eyes. "Hey," she called. "Is this a hi-jack?" He opened his eyes, and met with her curious blue ones.
Perhaps....perhaps this was all some cleverly devised scheme set by Oz...that Treize Kushranada was always up to something... Still, he only had one bullet...and it wouldn't be wise to use it...not just yet anyway.
"Hey, s'cuse me-"
He'd have to get out of here....maybe figure out a way to get in touch with Dr. J.
"Um, Mister?"
And Wing Zero! It was still back in the harbor, where he'd left it when he thought he'd come back out with the disk.
"HEY!"
Out of habit he raised his gun at the girl, giving her his infamous death glare. The nitwit. Couldn't she see he was thinking? "What." He answered in his usual monotone. He watched in satisfaction as she winced.
"My Moms gonna be back soon...so... you'd better get out of here! I'll have a hard enough time explaining why I'm home...I don't know WHAT I'd say about you."
The black cat scowled. "Serena he has a gun...he's threatened us with it NUMEROUS times...I think the last thing your mother will care about is why you're home early." She glared at the boy as if to punctuate her theory. That was it.
Heero aimed his gun at the furball, about to blow her brains out when he suddenly heard something. Keys in a lock.... He tensed. Someone was here. Seconds later, Luna heard it too. The front door slammed shut and Serena jumped, eyes wide.
"Mom's back..," she whispered nervously.
Without thinking she grabbed the boy's arm, slipping out her fathers office and down the hall.
".....?!"
To shocked to do anything, Heero allowed the girl to lead him back to her room, where she unceremoniously shoved him in.
"Keep quiet," she whispered ugently, and gently shut the door. For a moment he didn't move. No one had ever grabbed his arm like that before...his skin tingled where she'd touched him. He suddenly realized what had happened and began to scowl. What am I doing? he didn't follow orders from some blonde bimbo. Especially some bimbo he was planning to kill. He turned. He'd slip out the window before she returned. Yes. That would be best. He would figure things out and- he felt a tug on his sock.
He looked down and into the eyes of the cat. He frowned as it stared back up at him evenly.
I can't let him leave till Serena gets back, Luna thought. But how long could she keep him here?
The girl walked down the stairs slowly, dreading the confrontation. Her mother let out a gasp as she saw her daughter.
"Serena! What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at school!" She looked confused and worried. Serena avoided her eyes.
"I just....didn't feel like staying today..." she trailed off. She couldn't tell her how she'd been sent home...it'd just raise more questions. Her mother sighed.
"Serena....dear, is anything wrong? You haven't been yourself lately, your father and I......" She paused, as if reluctant to press. "We're worried about you. Your grades have dropped even lower than usual, and the teacher says that you don't even talk with your friends anymore....." she looked pleadingly at the girl. "This isn't like you. If there's a problem-"
"N-no mom..." her voice quivered. She squeezed her eyes shut, clinching her fists. "I'm sorry," she whispered, and ran out the door.
"Serena!," her mother called, but the girl was gone. "Oh Serena..." The woman sighed. Serena had never been this way before. Perhaps she just needed time. She didn't know what else to do. Shaking her head, she began putting away the groceries.
Unbeknownst to her, two pairs of eyes stood watching from the top of the stairway, one full of worry, the other cold and uncaring. Luna suddenly turned and silently made her way back to the girls room, where she promptly jumped out the window, ricocheting off the roof and to the ground; Going after that girl no doubt.
Heero watched silently.
They'd forgotten about him for the moment. Maybe they really weren't agents after all..... just a normal airhead girl and her snotty talking cat. Well, as normal as that scenario could get, all things considered. But... he had to know. What was he doing here? That girl was currently his only link to this place.. Without a second thought, Heero propelled himself out the 2nd story window. Despite his injuries, he landed gracefully on the ground and made his way after the cat.
We'll always be here whenever you need us, Princess!
Get it together, Princess Moonbrain!
Wow! Serena, you're the Princess! That's so cool!
Studying is important! You need to know about the world.
Her friends. They'd always been there for her. But now....now..... She burst into a new stream of tears. How could she continue to fight? The scouts were gone. And Darian....her prince....
Serenity.....you set me free....
She collapsed beside one of the neatly trimmed cherry trees. How could anyone possibly understand? And now those Black Moon creeps were after her too.... Before she could control herself, she let out a loud wail of anguish. Almost immediately, her forehead began to glow and a concentrated light appeared, forming the royal moon symbol.
A thin, bright column shot up to the sky.
What the...?
It was almost like the beam from Zero's buster rifle, though much thinner. Heero started suspiciously towards it.
"Serena!!," Luna screamed. The dazed girl was kneeling beside a tree. At the sound of her name she looked up.
"LUNA!!! It won't stop!!!," she cried hysterically. Luna ran over and bit the girl's hand. As Serena howled in pain, the Moon Beam dwindled and disappeared. The Moon crest however, remained on her forehead. A few feet away, Heero observed the scene in shocked silence. She'd made that light??! And what was that on her forehead?
"Serena," Luna began, "we have to get out of here. If I could see your beam, then the Black Moon could most definitely find you too!" The girl nodded and rose to her feet, only to fall back down as the tree next to her caught fire.
"Wha??!"
"So I finally found you, moon brat!" Heero watched as the woman laughed maliciously. She had long, wavy violet hair, with two cone-shaped buns pulled up on both sides of her head, giving her a cat-like appearance. She wore a striped pink and black body suit, with a lavender feather tutu the same color as her hair. At the base of her hairline just above her forehead was a dark, smoky colored jewel.
And on her forehead, was a black crescent.
What is going on, he thought.
"Catsy," Serena gasped. Luna hissed.
"I knew if I waited long enough, you'd show yourself eventually!," Catsy stated gleefully. She beckoned with her hands. "Come now, don't make me chase you." She so hated getting sweaty.
Serena promptly got up and ran.
Catsy growled in frustration. Why did she always get the hard jobs? "Oh Fine then! Blue Fi-" she was cut off as a white blur flew out of nowhere and launched itself onto her face. Catsy screamed.
Heero turned and silently made his way after the frightened Serena and Luna. He found them, not far away, hidden behind a large oak tree.
"Serena, transform! We need Sailor Moon!" Artimas couldn't last very long against Catsy.
"But....without the others how-"
"Serena!!!"
"A-alright..." A reluctant Serena stepped back, touching the round brooch on the chest-bow of her uniform. "Moon Crystal Power!"
And what happened next was one of the strangest things Heero had ever seen.
That girl, Serena, disappeared in a blinding flash of light. In a flurry of ribbons and feathers she twirled, doing a sensual battle dance. And what emerged, was not the whiny bimbo he'd previously seen, but a graceful young warrier.
What caught his attention first off were her legs. They were long and slim, clad in knee-length red boots. She seemed taller somehow. But maybe it was just the skirt, which was short, not even reaching her knees. Underneath her pleated blue skirt, she wore a white body suit. Her hair was the same, done up in that same weird style that made her look so much like a rabbit, except that her buns were now decorated with ruby red plates. And on her forehead, where that weird symbol had been, was a crown....no not a crown- a tiara- of some sort.
She suddenly glanced up, looking straight into his eyes.
Sailor Moon gaped. Luna glared. What was he doing here? Had he seen her transform? She couldn't tell from his expression, which was blank. For a moment neither moved. Sailor Moon just stood, like a deer caught in headlights. How long had he been watching? Had he seen her transform? But no one was ever supposed to find out- Suddenly he broke the silence, speaking abruptly in his flat monotone voice.
"Look out."
She spun out the way just as Catsy touched down, her spiked heels sinking in the soft dirt. The woman scowled, crossing her arms. "And just who are you?"
Heero blinked. She was kidding. She had to be. Didn't she recognize her? Was she really so dense?
Serena stood proudly. "I am Sailor Moon, Champion of justice and guardian of the White Moon Kingdom!" She held up her hand, doing the familiar motions that came natural by now.
"I right wrongs and triumph over evil trash like you! For love and justice, and in the name of the Moon, I will punish you!!!"
Heero glared. Apparently her brains hadn't morphed with her body. What was she doing? Why was she wasting time? What was this nonsense she was spouting? And that purple haired woman....why didn't she attack?? On the contrary, she looked as if she were actually listening.
Catsy frowned, and her face took on a deeply concentrated look. She looked just as puzzled as Heero FELT. "Sailor Moon?," she muttered slowly, "But I thought that all the Princess's protectors were gone in this time period....," she mumbled. Then that meant....Wiseman had miscalculated. Damn! Apparently they'd overlooked this... Sailor Moon. She shrugged. No matter.
"So. Sailor Moon, huh? I suggest you stay out of my way. We of the Black Moon family only wish for the princess, and have no need for you. So hand her over blondie!"
"You'll never get the Princess!!" Sailor Moon cried.
"Ugh! Why must you struggle so?!," Catsy screamed. Her black crescent moon glowed, and she shot into the air, a shower of blue fire balls raining down. Sailor Moon shrieked, dodging fireballs and covering her hair.
"What's the matter with you?!," Sailor Moon screamed, holding her long streams of hair in her arms protectively. She tripped over Luna who'd been keeping close.
Catsy sneered. The stupid brat. So much trouble. And all this for that stupid Princess. She didn't know why Diamond wanted her so . Oh well. This Sailor Moon-brat could be a problem though. Best be rid of her now, before she caused any more trouble. She held out her hand, summoning her fire. This woman had the countenance of the once firey Sailor Mars. A blue flame ignited in the center of her palm. As it grew, she threw back her hand, preparing to launch the attack.
Suddenly, a single shot rang out through the air, and Catsy screamed in pain.
"ARHGHH!!!! My hand!!!! Who did that?!!" She looked furiously around, eyes locking onto Heero, who was standing amidst the lush green shrubs.
"YOU! Spandex boy!! You'll pay for this!!" Heero regarded her calmly.
"MOON SCEPTER ELIMINATION!"
Sailor Moon had attacked, pointing her sceptor and releasing an onslaught of pink lights and crescent moons. When the dust cleared, Sailor Moon smiled.
"Gotcha!" She cried triumphantly.
"Not quite," a voice reprimended.
"What?!"
Heero looked up. In the branch of one of the cherry trees, stood a very dusty, very angry Catsy. "You two haven't seen the last of me!," she cried out. And then in a cloud of blue fire, she vanished.
Sailor Moon sighed in relief. She'd survived yet another battle without her scouts. But how long would the Black Moon be fooled? It was only a matter of time before they put two and two together and realized that she, Sailor Moon, was the Princess. Feeling a hard gaze on her back, she turned, meeting immediately with cold prussion eyes.
"You...saved us," she stuttered. He only watched her silently. "Thank you." Sailor Moon said, giving him a bright smile. "I don't know what we would have done-"
"Don't get the wrong idea," he interrupted suddenly. She looked startled. Luna stared suspiciously. She was getting the strangest vibes from this guy....
"What do you-"
"I was only repaying the favor. You saved me earlier. Now we're even." He understood a little what had happened before when he'd first awoken in this strange place. That girl, that Serena...or Sailor Moon..she'd been the one who'd saved him from his attacker. He turned to go.
"W-WAIT!"
He paused.
"You saw me....You know who I am... and I don't even know your name!!"
He didn't answer. What could he say? He still didn't know why he'd saved her. He had to kill her! She'd seen the plans on the disk! After a moment he turned again, coming to stand a few feet in front of her.
"Serena," he began, "If you ever hope to defeat your enemies, you must develop strategibility." She stared at him in confusion. Strategi-what?
He knelt down beside her. "Just call me Heero."
She smiled. Heero. He certainly was a hero, for saving her life.
Why was he telling her this? It was none of his business if she got herself killed. Infact, he was supposed to be killing her himself! But regardless, and whether he liked it or not, they did share one common link.
They both seemed to be fighters.
Though there was something odd about this girl. Some mysterious secret that he felt sure would explain everything. He shook his head. No. It wasn't his fight. He wouldn't get involved. He only had his gun now. No more bullets, since he'd used the last to shoot that lady.
And the disk...
He'd still yet to figure out what it meant. And if there really was another mobile suit being built, then he had a lot more things to worry about.
He woke up in a cold sweat. He'd had the strangest dream.....about a Princess...and the moon.... Her forehead had glowed with that symbol....a beautiful golden crescent. She'd been calling....looking for someone.....
Princess? Could it be Relena? But no. There was no symbol that graced her forehead. But then-
Zechs shook his head. He hadn't the time for such dreams. And why were they bothering him now, of all times? He got up, stretching, making his way to the window. It was a beautiful night. The night. His favorite time. So quiet. The darkness accented the silvery glow of the full moon.
The moon. How he loved it.
In the moonlight, his pale blond hair flashed silver.